If you're researching healthcare sharing for the first time, the terminology alone can feel like a second language. This guide breaks down how the model works and defines the handful of terms that will help you familiarize with health sharing's way of caring for you.
How Healthcare Sharing Works
At its core, healthcare sharing is a community-based approach to managing medical expenses. Unlike insurance, where you pay premiums to a private corporation, healthcare sharing brings a community of like-minded individuals together who voluntarily contribute a set amount each month to help pay one another's eligible medical bills. Instead of paying premiums to an insurance carrier, Members of a healthcare sharing organization---like WeShare Health---contribute a set amount each month. Those contributions are pooled and used to help pay eligible medical bills submitted by other Members. It's community-based, not contract-based. Because of that structure, health sharing isn't regulated the same way as insurance.
With WeShare Health, Members choose a Sharing Program tier with a Monthly Contribution Amount and an Annual Member Care Share that aligns with their needs. When a medical need comes up, eligible bills are reviewed according to the Membership Guidelines. For some everyday services, Members may pay a set consultation fee. For larger eligible medical needs, the AMCS may apply before sharing is facilitated.
Terms Worth Knowing
Monthly Contribution Amount (MCA): What a Member pays each month to participate.
Shareable Medical Bill (SMB): A bill that meets the program's guidelines for sharing.
Annual Member Contribution Share (AMCS): The amount a Member is responsible for before certain bills become eligible for sharing.
Eligible: Confirmation that a bill or service meets the conditions described in the program's Membership Guidelines.
Why Do People Choose Health Sharing?
You'll find that people typically switch to sharing for three main reasons:
Affordability: Monthly sharing contributions are often significantly lower than traditional insurance premiums.
Flexibility: Many programs include access to broad provider networks, virtual care, and practical resources that help Members get care in a way that works for their daily lives. WeShare Health, for example, gives Members access to one of the largest provider networks, telehealth, primary care visits, urgent care options, and wellness resources designed to support whole-person health.
Community Values: Many researchers are drawn to the idea of knowing their money is going directly to help another person, rather than padding a corporate profit margin.
WeShare Health brings these three factors together through a modern healthcare sharing experience that emphasizes practical access, clear Member responsibilities, and community-centered support. Members are not left to figure everything out alone; they have program resources and a Member Services team available to help them understand how sharing works in real life.
Review Before You Decide
Every program's guidelines are different, so read them carefully --- especially sections on pre-existing conditions, maternity, and timing requirements for certain services. WeShare Health's Member Care team is also available to walk through specifics before you apply.
